At least 12 people have been killed and 54 others injured as wildfires swept through several provinces along Algeria's northern coastline on Wednesday, with six victims in critical condition and dozens of families forced to flee their homes [1][2].
Deaths Concentrated in Three Provinces
Interior Minister Said Sayoud confirmed the death toll during a visit to a hospital in Souk El Thenine, in the hard-hit Bejaia province, where he and Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Ait Messaoudene traveled to assess firefighting and evacuation operations [1][2]. The fatalities were distributed across three provinces: five people died in Jijel, four in Bejaia, and three in Tizi Ouzou [1][2].
All 54 burn and smoke-inhalation cases were reported at the Bejaia hospital, with six patients requiring intensive care [2]. Footage broadcast by regional outlet Jijel News showed residents sheltering inside a post office as thick smoke engulfed the surrounding area — a stark image of the chaos gripping communities along the Mediterranean coast [1][2].
Scale of the Outbreak
The scale of Wednesday's fire activity underscores how rapidly conditions deteriorated. Civil protection teams recorded 154 separate fire outbreaks across the country in a single day, including 36 in Bejaia province alone, 18 of which had been brought under control by Wednesday evening [2]. An earlier civil protection agency count put active blazes at 69, reflecting the fast-moving nature of the crisis [1].
Sayoud said firefighting teams had managed to contain fires in the provinces of Skikda, El Tarf, Bouira, Tizi Ouzou, and Tebessa, but operations remained ongoing in Bejaia — where 18 hotspots were still active — and in Jijel, where fires were burning across 12 municipalities [2]. Many homes in both Bejaia and Jijel were evacuated, according to civil protection authorities and local media [1].
A Region Already Scarred
This week's disaster is not an isolated event. Algeria recorded at least six fire-related deaths in July alone, with crews battling more than 2,000 blazes across the country during that month [1]. The Bejaia region, one of the worst-affected areas this week, suffered devastating fires three years ago that killed 30 people [1].
The country's forested Mediterranean coastline is particularly vulnerable during peak summer months, when dry conditions, high temperatures, and fierce winds combine to create ideal fire weather [2]. Climate change has amplified that vulnerability significantly, researchers and international bodies warn.
Climate Change Sharpening the Threat
The fires are burning against the backdrop of a severe heatwave gripping both Algeria and neighboring Tunisia [1][2]. The World Meteorological Organization has noted that extreme heat has become increasingly common across North Africa, which has experienced the most rapid warming of any of Africa's six subregions — a rate of 0.43 degrees Celsius per decade between 1991 and 2025 [1].
That accelerating warming trend has compounding effects beyond wildfires. Rising temperatures and water shortages have also contributed to an increase in camel deaths during Algerian summer heatwaves, according to a recent study cited by the BBC [1]. The convergence of drought, record heat, and wind-driven fire conditions is a pattern climate scientists have long warned would intensify across the southern Mediterranean.
What to Watch
With operations still active in Bejaia and Jijel as of Wednesday evening, the death toll and injury count could rise in the coming days [2]. Authorities will be monitoring whether the heatwave gripping the region — which is simultaneously affecting Tunisia — eases enough to allow firefighting teams to gain the upper hand. The Bejaia region's history of catastrophic fires, combined with the sheer number of outbreaks recorded in a single day this week, suggests the crisis is far from over. Longer term, Algeria's ability to invest in fire prevention infrastructure and early-warning systems will be a key test of how the country adapts to a climate that is making these emergencies an increasingly regular feature of summer.